More motorists will soon be saying "plug her in" instead of "fill 'er up," judging by developments in Portland and Salem on Friday.

In Salem, Gov. Ted Kulongoski announced the state has received a $2 million federal grant to put as many as two dozen electric-vehicle "fast-charge" stations in northwest Oregon.

At Portland Community College's Sylvania campus, students and fleet managers kicked tires of plug-ins at an event co-sponsored by Columbia-Willamette Clean Cities Coalition. And at the World Trade Center downtown, energy-industry managers ducked out of a conference to see electrics, including a bright-red convertible Mini Cooper that happened to be charging nearby.

View full sizeRichard Read/The OregonianEV Innovations Inc., a North Carolina company, converted the Mini, installing an electric motor in front and a battery pack in back. Where there was once a gas tank, the car now plugs into electricity.

Ready or not, Oregon -- ahead of most other states -- is gearing up for mass-produced electrics arriving as soon as December. Elected officials, including the state's U.S. senators, Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, are quick to take credit.

"We are quickly approaching the day when Oregonians can drive their cars from Portland to Ashland without a single drop of gasoline," Merkley said. "Electric vehicles are poised to play a major role in ending our oil addiction, but it can't be done without an investment in infrastructure."

The chargers announced Friday number only two dozen, but they are relatively rare Level 3 units with enough power to provide an 80 percent recharge in 20 to 30 minutes. The 480-volt chargers will be spread into rural areas off the Interstate 5 corridor, giving quick juice to motorists heading to the Columbia Gorge, Mount Hood and farther-flung destinations.

Most of the first generation of mass-produced plug-ins will have a range of about 100 miles, meaning drivers may hesitate to use them for excursions beyond town. The fast chargers, complementing a network of 1,100 slower Level 2 chargers planned for Oregon, are designed to eliminate so-called range anxiety that motorists can feel as their batteries run down.

Still, as the electric era approaches, various uncertainties linger.

No one knows how popular the plug-ins will be. But one indication is the number of Oregonians -- more than 700 so far -- who have made $99 deposits to reserve Nissan Leaf electrics coming in December.

No one can say, either, quite how much it will cost to plug 'er in.

View full sizeRichard Read/The OregonianA Portland police officer Friday said drivers of gas-powered vehicles often overlook this sign outside the World Trade Center, and end up with parking tickets as a result.

"The rate that's quoted a lot is $1.50 to charge your vehicle overnight," said Alan Bates, Portland-based vice president of marketing for Shorepower Technologies, a company deploying electrified parking spaces across the United States. "That actually may be high."

And then there are the odd kinks in new technology.

As Bates displayed a charging station at the World Trade Center, technician Ross McCulloch stood at a real-life charger down the street, literally scratching his head. McCulloch used to work at Nascar pit stops, rapidly splicing wires for drivers such as Jamie McMurray and Steve Wallace.

Now McCulloch works for EV Innovations Inc., a North Carolina company that converts gasoline-fueled vehicles to electric power. For $70,000, he said, EV Innovations converted the red Mini Cooper in front of him.

The problem is, McCulloch said, that the Mini sometimes shuts off unpredictably.

McCulloch has every confidence he will find the problem and fix it, given the luxury of Portland days, not Nascar split seconds. "My job is to figure it out," he said.

As he pondered the car, Lance Richards happened by. He set the world speed record for electric dragsters at 76.6 mph in 2002.

Back at the World Trade Center, Rick Durst, electric-vehicle program manager for Portland General Electric, displayed some Toyota plug-ins. He explained later by phone that Oregon's ban on self-service fueling does not extend to electric chargers, which motorists can operate themselves.

Durst, who owns a converted Geo Metro plug-in, spoke quickly. His cell-phone battery was about to run out.

"I'm going to go plug my phone in now," Durst said. "So if you have any further questions, feel free to give me a call."